The Aran Islands

The Aran Islands is a compelling adaptation by Joe O’Byrne of John Millington Synge’s classic work. In 1898, on the advice of W.B. Yeats, Synge went to live among the islanders to “express a life that has never found expression.” In this gray, sea-battered landscape, full of mist and wild rain, hearth is home and storytellers regale listeners with tales by the fire. Here Synge found inspiration for many later works, including The Playboy of the Western World and Riders to the Sea. Brendan Conroy, one of Ireland’s finest actors, captures the spirit of Synge and of this bleakly primitive, mystical land on the west coast of Europe. In the great tradition of Irish storytelling, The Aran Islands is a haunting and transporting experience built around an incredible performance.